Athens State closer to getting own board of trustees; no plans to become 4-year school

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Athens State University is awaiting only a signature of the bill by Gov. Robert Bentley for permission to assemble its own board of trustees.

The state Legislature on Thursday passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, that would separate Athens State from the jurisdiction of the state board of education.

But Athens State has no plans to pursue becoming a four-year institution, according to Rick Mould, vice president of university advancement. Athens State, with an enrollment of about 3,600 students, is the only school in the state serving only college juniors and seniors.

"If you look at what we tried to do, particularly with the board (of trustees), we still believe in the mission that we have," Mould said today. "We still intend to have a very close connection with the community colleges and continue to work with them in bringing students here."

To help maintain those ties, the state school board member representing Athens State -- currently Mary Scott Hunter of Huntsville -- will hold a permanent seat on the board of trustees.

Hunter said the state school board supported Athens State's desire to create its own board of trustees and called passage by the Legislature "a really good thing for them."

Bentley must still sign the bill for it to become law.

Hunter also repeated that Athens State has expressed no interest in becoming a four-year institution.

"That is not their goal," Hunter said. "That is not their stated goal. I don't have a crystal ball but their goal is to do their mission but to do it more efficiently and deliver their education as they have done in the past."

Separating from the same body that oversees kindergarten-through-high school as well as the state's community colleges will allow Athens State to operate in a "more nimble and more responsive" way, Hunter said.

"When they are one of 27 community colleges, they have to get in line for any kind of policy change or update to their mission or anything that they really need," Hunter said.

Mould said the change will enable Athens State to function more like peer institutions. One example he cited was enhancing the faculty through a more strenuous tenure criteria. Faculty at Athens State, Mould said, are tenured just like K-through-12 teachers -- which is achieved after three years.

"It's certainly not the model that is seen in higher education at a university," said Mould, adding that universities typically award tenure after six or seven years to accomplished faculty.